Victor I. Sarigiannidis “The Poet of Archaeology”

The Committee for Pontian Studies (CPM) has published its new edition, a book by its President Christos Galanidis, entitled “Victor I. Sarigiannidis. The poet of archaeology”.

The book was published in honour of the great scientist Victor Sarigiannidis on the 9th anniversary of his death. It describes the journey of the distinguished archaeologist, who, working hard and under adverse conditions in Bactria (Afghanistan) and Margiana (Turkmenistan), managed to uncover their secrets and turn legend into history. The results of his huge excavation work (1952-2013) became known worldwide and the important archaeological findings are connected with the influence of the Ancient Greek civilization and the presence of Alexander the Great in the Central Asian region.

Christos Galanidis, a scientific friend of Victor Sarigiannidis, with patience and perseverance collected from every source and includes in this album, the rich photographic material from all phases of the great scientist’s career, his biography, which numbers 30 books, 144 articles in authoritative scientific journals, 70 collaborations in edited volumes, contributions to 37 conferences and scientific workshops, 12 published book reviews, it also presents data on his presence in Greece and his acquaintance with Pontian Hellenism in particular, as well as all the distinctions and awards he received.

Special mention in the book is made of Victor Sarigiannidis’ connection with the Committee for Pontian Studies, which invited him to a special event on 15 January 1992, where he developed the theme “Gold of Bactria” to a large audience, proclaimed him an honorary member of the Committee at an honorary tribute event on 23 November 2009, honoured him at an event after his death and dedicated to his memory the International Scientific Symposium held on 5-8 May 2016.

The elegant publication of the Committee for Pontian Studies, which presents the portrait of the “poet of archaeology”, as Christos Galanidis calls Victor Sarigiannidis, presents another important personality of Pontian origin.